"Wake up! Wake up! Hey, Princess! It's time to get out of that bed!"
Tasha groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, pretending she hadn't heard a single word.
Unfortunately for her, the woman standing beside her bed wasn't someone who gave up easily.
"Tasha!"
Her mother's voice rang through the room again.
Ariana sighed as she reached out and gently tapped her daughter's back. When that didn't work, she gave her a slightly firmer nudge.
"Come on, sweetheart. It's time to wake up."
"Mum, please..." Tasha mumbled into her pillow. "I'm sleeping."
"Really? I couldn't tell."
"I'm serious, Mum. I'm extremely tired. We spent the entire day shopping yesterday. My legs are practically begging for mercy. Can't I have just thirty more minutes?"
Ariana folded her arms, staring at the lump beneath the blanket.
"Thirty more minutes?" she repeated. "Tasha, I allowed you to sleep until eight already! And now you want another thirty minutes?"
Tasha suddenly lifted her head.
"Wait... what?"
Her eyes widened as she looked around for her phone.
"Eight o'clock?!"
She shot upright so quickly that she nearly got tangled in her bedsheets.
"Oh my goodness! Mum, why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
Ariana stared at her daughter in disbelief.
"Excuse me? I've been standing here calling your name for the past ten minutes!"
Tasha ignored her mother's comment and looked around her room.
Clothes were scattered across the bed, shopping bags occupied almost every corner, and half-packed boxes stood beside her wardrobe. It looked as though a mini hurricane had swept through the room.
Today was finally here.
University move-in day.
After months of waiting, preparing, shopping, and listening to her mother give her endless advice, Tasha was finally leaving home for university.
She should have been excited.
And she was.
But beneath all that excitement was a little nervousness she wasn't quite ready to admit.
"Mum, please, can you help me get ready?" she asked, throwing her blanket aside. "I don't want to be walking around campus looking like someone who just escaped from a disaster."
Ariana chuckled.
"Then perhaps you should have woken up when I first called you."
"That's not helping, Mum!"
"Anyway, I thought I was dropping you directly at your dorm building."
Tasha immediately turned towards her.
"Please, Mum. Not this conversation again."
"What conversation? I'm simply saying—"
"Mum!"
Tasha gave her the sweetest pleading look she could manage.
"We've already discussed this. You promised to let me handle things myself. I want to experience university like every other student. I don't want people staring at me because my mother is following me around carrying my bags."
Ariana raised an eyebrow.
"And what's wrong with a mother helping her daughter?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Tasha quickly replied. "You're the best mother in the entire universe. But I can manage."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Ariana shook her head, clearly unconvinced.
"Fine. How about I drop you at the campus gate?"
Tasha considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Deal! That's my final offer too."
Ariana laughed.
"You're something else, young lady."
She turned towards the door, then paused.
"Anyway, I've already arranged your outfit, and your bags are waiting in the hallway. Go and take your shower. You have ten minutes. Not eleven, not twelve. Ten."
Tasha's face immediately brightened.
"Really? Thank you, Mum!"
She jumped out of bed and rushed towards her mother, wrapping her arms around her.
"I love you so much! You're the best mother ever!"
Ariana smiled, gently patting her daughter's back.
"Yes, yes. I know. Now go!"
"Okay, Madam Timekeeper!"
Tasha hurried towards the bathroom.
"NINE MINUTES LEFT!" Ariana shouted as she walked out.
"MUM!" Tasha screamed from inside the bathroom. "YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!"
Ariana burst into laughter.
For a moment, she stood outside her daughter's room, smiling to herself.
Her little girl was growing up.
And although she was excited about the new chapter awaiting Tasha, a tiny part of her wasn't quite ready to let go.
Fifteen minutes later...
"MUM! I'M READY!"
Tasha came rushing down the staircase, her hair still slightly damp.
She looked lovely, dressed in the outfit Ariana had carefully selected for her. Her excitement was written all over her face.
The delicious smell of freshly made pancakes and coffee filled the dining area.
Ariana was already seated at the dining table, calmly enjoying her coffee as though she had all the time in the world.
Tasha pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Hey, Best Mum!" she greeted cheerfully. "I hope I wasn't too slow this time?"
Ariana slowly lowered her cup.
Then she looked at her daughter.
"What's with that innocent face?"
Tasha blinked.
"What face?"
"Don't play innocent with me, young lady. I gave you ten minutes to shower. You took fifteen, and now you're trying to sweet-talk your way out of trouble."
Tasha giggled.
"Come on, Mum. It's only five minutes!"
"Five minutes?" Ariana repeated, pointing towards the plate of pancakes. "Well, because you decided to spend an extra five minutes in the bathroom, you now have five minutes to finish your breakfast."
Tasha's mouth fell open.
"WHAT?"
She looked at the pancakes, then at her mother.
"Mum! How am I supposed to eat all this in five minutes?"
"That's your problem."
"But that's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible, sweetheart. Now eat."
Tasha shook her head dramatically.
"And here I was thinking I had the sweetest mother in the world."
"You do. Unfortunately, your mother also owns a clock."
Tasha burst out laughing.
"And besides," Ariana added, raising an eyebrow, "all this talking is taking away from your breakfast time. You now have four minutes and twenty seconds."
"WHAT?!"
Tasha nearly jumped out of her chair.
"Please, sit down before you fall," Ariana warned, trying unsuccessfully to hide her laughter. "I don't want us spending the entire morning in the hospital because you were too busy running away from pancakes."
"Mum, you're impossible!"
This time, they both burst into laughter.
For a few moments, the dining room was filled with nothing but their laughter and the comfortable silence that followed.
Tasha finally picked up her fork and began eating.
Ariana watched her for a moment before speaking.
"So, have you spoken to Sabrina?"
Tasha nodded, her mouth full.
"Oh, yes. I called her yesterday."
"And?"
"She went to campus for registration and checked out our dormitory. She said everything looks fine."
"That's good," Ariana replied, looking relieved. "At least you'll have someone familiar around when you get there."
Tasha swallowed before taking another bite.
"Exactly. And she promised to show me around when I arrive."
Ariana nodded, then reached for the syrup and pushed it closer to her daughter.
"Well, that's wonderful."
She paused for a moment, studying Tasha's face.
"Are you excited?"
Tasha looked up.
"Of course I am!"
Ariana smiled.
"Are you nervous?"
Tasha hesitated.
"A little."
"That's perfectly normal, sweetheart."
Tasha lowered her eyes to her plate, smiling faintly.
"I mean, it's a new environment. New people, new lecturers, new friends... Everything is going to be different."
"That's what makes it exciting."
"I know."
Ariana reached across the table and gently held her daughter's hand.
"Listen to me, Tasha. University is going to be different from everything you've known. You'll meet all kinds of people, make new friends, and experience things you've never experienced before. Some days will be wonderful, and others might not be so easy."
Tasha looked at her mother attentively.
"But I want you to remember something. Never allow anyone to pressure you into becoming someone you're not. Make good choices, respect yourself, and always remember the values you've been raised with."
Tasha smiled.
"Mum, are you giving me another one of your famous speeches?"
Ariana laughed.
"Unfortunately, yes. And I haven't even started!"
"Oh, please!"
"Let me finish!"
Tasha chuckled and squeezed her mother's hand.
"I promise I'll be fine, Mum. I'll make you proud."
Ariana smiled, but there was something emotional in her eyes.
"You already make me proud, sweetheart."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Tasha glanced at the clock and suddenly gasped.
"MUM!"
Ariana looked up.
"What now?"
"WE'RE LATE!"
Ariana burst out laughing.
"Well, Princess, welcome to adulthood. You're already learning that time waits for no one."
Tasha quickly grabbed the last piece of pancake and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Come on, Mum! Let's go!"
Ariana stood up, picked up her handbag, and headed towards the door.
"Your bags are already outside. And please, don't forget your phone."
"I have it!"
"Your charger?"
"Yes!"
"Your documents?"
"Yes, Mum!"
"Your—"
"MUM! I HAVE EVERYTHING!"
Ariana laughed as she followed her daughter outside.
Neither of them knew exactly what the day had in store.
For Tasha, it was the beginning of an exciting new chapter, one filled with dreams, friendships, discoveries, and endless possibilities.
But sometimes, the most beautiful beginnings come with unexpected turns.
And Tasha was about to discover that university life would be far more complicated than she had imagined.
Her journey was only just beginning